(Radio Iowa) – U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made stops in Pella and Sioux Center, Friday. Friday morning DeVos toured Vermeer Manufacturing’s apprenticeship program which trains people to work as painters and welders and to operate machinery in the plant.

Betsy DeVos learning to weld at Vermeer Mfg.

“I know that in Iowa, workforce development continues to be a big opportunity and a big challenge,” DeVos said.

Governor Kim Reynolds has set a goal for 2025 of having at least 70 percent of working-age Iowans hold some sort of professional certification or a college degree.”We’re at 60% right now,” Reynolds says, “but we’re looking at the data for 2020 and it looks like we could see potentially a 5-6% increase, so we’re really making great gains.”

Devos also toured one of Dordt University’s two-year apprenticeship programs, Friday afternoon. She spoke at a roundtable with educators and business leaders from the Sioux Center area. DeVos is the third Trump Administration cabinet secretary to visit Iowa in the past week.

Betsy DeVos painting at Vermeer Mfg.